The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan [most popular novels .txt] 📗

and teach for hire, and divine for money, and lean upon the Lord (Micah 3:10, 11). This is doing things with a high hand against the Lord our God, and a taking Him, as it were, at the catch! This is, as we say among men, to seek to put a trick upon God, as if He had not sufficiently fortified his proposals of grace by his Holy Word, against all such kind of fools as these.” —⁠Vol. 1, p. 93 ↩

John 16:8; Romans 7:24; John 16:9; Mark 16:16. ↩

Psalms 38:18; Jeremiah 31:19; Galatians 2:16; Acts 4:12; Matthew 5:6; Revelation 21:60. ↩

Romans 10:10; Philippians 1:27; Matthew 5:19. ↩

John 14:15; Psalms 1:23; Job 42:5, 6; Ezekiel 20:43. ↩

Blessed faithful dealing! O that it were more practised in the world, and in the church! How then would vain talkers be detected in the one, and driven out of the other. —⁠Mason ↩

Heart searching, soul examining, and close questioning of the conduct of life, will not do with talkative professors. Ring a peal on the doctrines of grace, and many will chime in with you; but speak closely how grace operates upon the heart, and influences the life to follow Christ in self-denying obedience, they cannot bear it; they are offended with you, and will turn away from you, and call you legal. —⁠Mason ↩

I observe that, as there are trees wholly noble, so there are also their semblance; not right, but ignoble. There is the grape, and the wild grape; the rose, and the canker rose; the apple and the crab. Now, fruit from these wild trees, however it may please children to play with, yet the prudent count it of no value. There are also in the world a generation of professors that bring forth nothing but wild olive berries; saints only before men, devils and vipers at home; saints in word, but sinners in heart and life. Well, saith God, this profession is but a cloak: I will loose the reins of this man, and give him up to his own vile affections. “I will answer him by Myself” (Ezekiel 14:7). Thou art too hard for the church: she knows not how to deal with thee. Well, I will deal with that man Myself. —⁠Bunyan’s Barren Fig-Tree ↩

Where the heart is rotten, it will ward off conviction, turn from a faithful reprover, condemn him, and justify itself. Faithful dealing will not do for unfaithful souls. Mind not that, but be faithful to the truth. —⁠Mason ↩

How they rejoiced again to meet Evangelist, and listen to his encouraging and animating exhortations; of which, as they were now near the great town of Vanity Fair, they would stand in special need. Indeed, it was to forewarn them of what they were to meet with there, and to exhort them, amidst all persecutions, to quit themselves like men, that Evangelist now came to them. His voice, so solemn and deep, yet so inspiring and animating, sounded like the tones of a trumpet on the eve of battle. —⁠Cheever ↩

The pilgrims are now about to enter upon a new era⁠—to leave their privacy in the wilderness, and commence a more public scene⁠—perhaps alluding to Bunyan’s being publicly set apart to the work of the ministry. It was in the discharge of these public duties that he was visited with such severe persecution. This interview with Evangelist reminds one of the setting apart of Dissenting ministers. It is usual, on these occasions, for the Christians entering on such important duties, to give a short account of what “had happened in the way,” and their reasons for hoping that they were called by God to the work. They receive the advice of their ministering elder, and the pastor prays for their peace and prosperity. Evangelist’s address would make a good outline of an ordination sermon. Bunyan’s account of his being thus set apart in 1656 (with seven other members of the same church) is narrated in Grace Abounding, Nos. 266⁠–⁠270. The second address of Evangelist peculiarly relates to the miseries endured by Nonconformist ministers in the reign of Charles II. —⁠Editor ↩

John 4:36; Galatians 6:9. ↩

1 Corinthians 9:24⁠–⁠27. ↩

Revelation 3:11.

Shall the world venture their soul’s ruin for a poor corruptible crown; and shall not we venture the loss of a few trifles for an eternal crown? Shall they venture the loss of eternal life for communion with base, drunken, covetous wretches; and shall we not labour as hard, run as fast, nay, a hundred times more diligently, for such glorious and eternal friends as God to love, Christ to redeem, the Holy Spirit to comfort, and saints and angels in Heaven for company? Shall it be said at the last day, that the wicked made more haste to hell than you to Heaven? O let it not be so, but run with all might and main! They that will have Heaven must run for it, because the devil will follow them. There is never a poor soul that is gone to it, but he is after that soul. And I assure them the devil is nimble; he is light of foot, and can run apace. He hath overtaken many, tripped up their heels, and given them an everlasting fall. —⁠Heavenly Footman ↩

Bunyan illustrates the care of Christ for his afflicted ones with striking simplicity. “I love to play the child with children. I have met with a child that had a sore finger, so that it was useless. Then have I said, Shall we cut off this finger, and buy my child a better, a brave golden finger? At this he started, and felt indignation against